Rod gripping device



NOV. 17, 1936. 'p RATlGAN 2,061,102

ROD GRIPPING DEVICE Filed Oct. 30, 1934 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROD GRIPPING DEVICE James P. Ratigan, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 30, 1934', Serial No; 750,744

13 Claims. (Cl. Z t -248) The present application relates to a rod gripas will be hereinafter explained, when the gripping device for handling well rods or similar ping member is supporting a rod, all pull will be structures. exerted against only the upper side of the eye In drilling or pumping oil wells, when the 33,-the slot 34 will have no effect toward weakendrilling or sucker rod is removed from the well, ing the lever. 5

it is customary to support the sections or stands The body portion 3| of each rod gripping deof the rod upon a rod hanger secured to the Vice 3!! is provided with upper and lower arms upper portion of the well derrick. 35 and- 35, respectively, projecting laterally therev Numerous types of gripping devices heretofore from, these arms preferably being curved about 0 used for upporting wa upon well hangers do an axis extending parallel with the body portion not gripthe rod securely, or are so designed that 3| of the device, but the two arms being curved they are very apt to be broken by the weight of in opposite directions a t, this axis is therod. and. may alsobecomejammed or locked in best shown in Figure 1, the two arms are of V gripping. position uponthe rod, requiring the use sufficient length to have their outer ends 31 overof a hammer or the like to release them from lap. The space between the arms 35' and 36 15 y rQ-d This: l tter procedure often damages is somewhat greater than the diameter of the the gripping device and, in many instances, rod to be handled by the gripping device, the r65111155 in breakage of the Samepace between the rods preferably being about Of P p l bj cts of the present one and one half times the diameter of the rod.

inventionis to provide a rod gripping device A slot 38 is formed in the body portion 3| of 20 which is. strong, positive and: simple; Due to the gripping device and the clamping lever 32- is the simplicity of design, the gripping device of supported in this slot by means of a rivet 39 the invention may be readily secured to a rod. or the like extending through aligned apertures Because of its positive gripping action, allposin the body portion 3| and the lever 32 as shown sibility of the devicebecoming disengaged from in Figure 3; It will be noted that the rivet 39 25 the rod is eliminated and danger ofthe rod dropextends throughthe lower portion of the clampping and injuring workmen isavoided. i s l v r, hereby causing a strong cammins Figure 1 is a top view of the gripping device action to be exerted upon a rod by the inner of the inventiont end 40 ofthe lever, as will be hereinafter de- Figure 215 asideelevational View of the gripscribed. The width of the lever 32 and the ping device, length of the slot 38 in a vertical plane are such i 3. is t al w th lin 3H3 that the upward swinging movement of the outer ft Figure 1., a end of the lever will be limited by the upper end Figure 42 1 from; w of a. gripping vic M of the slot as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

turned toa position with respect to a well rod e w d S nging movement of the lever 35 to permit it to be placed upon the rod. will be limited by the lower end 42 of the slot The numeral iii-designates a chain or similar to the position also shown in dotted lines in suspension: member carryingthe rod gripping Figure 2. It will be observed that in each of device 30 of the present invention at its lower these posi i n there will be amplerOOm between end. If member Iii-com risesa chain, the lower h l v r and a r d R s pp r n h ripp 40 link of the suspension member is positioned in device to render it impossible for the operators an eye 33 in the outer end of the lever 32 t hand to be caught between the lever and the eye-opening to the lower face-of the lever through rod. Furthermore, the lever cannot move to a,

45 a slot of sufficient width to perm-it passage of substantially vertical position and be locked or 45 the link upwardly and into the eye. After the j med wi h r spe o the od. It has b en link has been positionedin the eye 33, the slot p s i l f r is ja n a t t cur in p i r 34 may be closed as indicated in Figure 2-, by art devices and, when such action occurs, it is swageirig the same or in any other suitable necessary to hammer or otherwise forcibly strike 56 manner so that movement of the link out of the lever to release the same from the rod.

the eye will be prevented. This arrangement he lev 32 s p v d On its upper Surface eliminates the necessity of a special form of with a projection 43 for the purpose of indicatlink to connect the gripping device 30 to the ing to the operator the upper side of the clampchain of the suspensionmember. Since the slot ing device and upon which the thumb of the op- 5 34 is in the lower side of the lever and since, erator may be positioned to assist in the operainner end 40 of the clamping lever.

tion of the lever. If the thumb of the operator is positioned upon this rest, his hand will be in such position that it cannot be pinched, either with or without a rod in the device.

It will be noted that in the gripping device described above three points of engagement with a rod are provided, 1. e., the arms 35 and 36 and the Because of the fact that the inner end of the clamping lever is between the two arms, the pressure exerted upon the rod by the clamp will be equally divided between the two arms, thereby greatly increasing the load limit of the device. the arms 35 and 36, together, completely encircle the rod, it will be impossible for the rod to swing out of position in the device. I I

In order to position a gripping device upon a rod R, the device is rotated in a clockwise direction (Fig. 3) and moved toward the rod to place it in the position indicated in Figure 4, with the arm 35 at one side of the rod and the arm 36 at the opposite side. The grippingdevice is then turned backwardly or in a counterclockwise direction so that the clamping device will occupy the position illustrated in Figure l. I Upward movement of the outer end of lever 32 will then force the upper portion of the inner end of the lever into engagement with the opposed surface of the rod R and force the rod against the inner surfaces of the ends 31 of the arms 35 and 36.

The gripping device of the present invention is particularly advantageous in the handling of sections of well rod in oil well operations. Such sections are ordinarily raised from the well by an elevator apparatus. After a section has been thus raised to the desired height, the operator secures a rod gripping device to the upper portion of the section and then releases the elevator. One important advantage of the present invention is that it completely incircles a rod or the like even when it is not in clamping engagement with the rod. By this construction, the operator may position the gripping device upon the rod and permit it to slide downwardly along the rod before the elevator is released from the rod, the operator knowing that the gripping device will properly position itself without falling from the rod. Heretofore, with the single-armed gripping devices used, it has been necessary for the operator to carefully clamp each gripping device upon the rod before operating the elevator, otherwise the single-armed gripping device would fall from the rod.

Since each stand of rod is secured in a gripping device 30 of the present invention between oppositely facing arms, with a clamping device forcing the rod against the arms, there will be no possibility of the rod falling sidewise out of the device as often occurs with gripping devices provided with but one arm and a clamping means. The weight of the rod exerted downwardly will of course tend the outer end of the lever 32 to move upwardly, resulting in a strong clamping action between the upper portion of the inner end of the lever 32 against thearms 35 and 36. Also, the three point grip of the device 30 will distribute the clamping stresses so that all danger of breakage of the device under loads even greater than normal will be obviated. The three point contact of the gripping device also eliminates the necessity of providing teeth upon the inner end of the lever to prevent slippage of the rod.

In the present specification and claims, the

Also, because term rod is intended to cover hollow tubing or piping as well as solid members.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the drawing and that the examples of the use of the device which have been given do not include all of the uses of which the device is capable; also, that the phraseology employed in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. A rod gripping device comprising oppositely facing fixed members each arranged to partially encircle a rod, and a clamping means between and opposed to said members, said members being spaced to permit them to be placed upon a rod when the device is turned to cause the members to straddle the rod.

2. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with arms extending about a common axis but'in opposite directions, each' of said arms being of such length as to embrace the major portion of the periphery of the rod, and means to hold a rod in contact with said arms.

3. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, and means pivoted between said arms to hold a rod in contact therewith.

4. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, and means pivoted between said arms opposite the free ends of the latter to hold a rod in contact therewith.

5. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced curved and open arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, each of said arms being of such length as to embrace the major portion of the pe-' riphery of a rod, and means to hold a rod in contact with said arms.

6. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced curved and open arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, and means pivoted between said arms to hold the rod in contact with said arms.

7. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced curved and open arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, each of said arms being of such length as to embrace the major portion of the periphery of a rod, and means opposite the free ends of said arms to hold a rod in contact there with.

8. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with spaced curved and open arms extending about a common axis but in opposite directions, and means pivoted between said arms opposite the free ends of the latter to hold the rod in contact therewith.

9. A rod gripping device comprising a body member provided with oppositely facing and open arms each arranged to partially encircle a rod, a lever pivoted on said body member between said arms to cooperate with said arms to grip a rod, and means on said body member to limit the turning movement of the lever with respect to said body member.

10. A rod gripping device comprising a slotted body, two spaced members projecting from the slotted body, each arranged to partly encircle a rod in opposite directions, and a clamping lever pivoted in the slot and bearing against the rod when the rod is gripped.

11. A rod gripping device comprising a slotted body, two spaced members projecting from the slotted body, each arranged to partly encircle a rod in opposite directions, and a clamping lever pivoted in the slot and adapted to be engaged by a suspension member to force it into gripping relation with a rod when the rod is gripped.

12. A rod gripping device comprising a body portion provided with oppositely facing curved arms, each arranged to partially encircle a rod, the free end of each arm being spaced from the body portion by a distance greater than the diameter of the rod to be gripped, and clamping means in opposed relation to said members.

13. A rod gripping device comprising a body portion provided with oppositely facing curved arms, each arranged to partially encircle a rod, the free end of each arm being spaced from the body portion by a distance greater than the diameter of the rod to be gripped, said arms being spaced longitudinally of the body portion a distance greater than the diameter of the rod to be 

